


Pokemon: Red/Blue/Yellow

by HollywoodSunset



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-19
Updated: 2021-01-19
Packaged: 2021-03-18 01:28:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,843
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28858857
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HollywoodSunset/pseuds/HollywoodSunset
Summary: Childhood rivals Josh and Ryan compete to collect all eight Gym Badges and become the Indigo League Champion while Ash works to complete the Pokedex.





	1. Chapter 1

Professor Oak rubbed his eyes as the coffee machine sputtered. He was awake far earlier than he liked to be. Oak sipped his coffee as he surveyed the laboratory. The eastern wall had floor-to-ceiling windows which allowed long, diagonal sunbeams to cover the floor and walls. The walls opposite the windows consisted almost entirely of bookshelves filled to the brim. While his younger research assistants used digital, Oak preferred traditional reading materials which were less stressful on his eyes. Most of the books were full of highlighted sections, handwritten annotations, and yellow discolorations in the center of the fore-edges where Oak routinely fingered through the pages.

The back of the laboratory, where Oak made his coffee, also had a whiteboard on an easel, a flat-screen TV, and a conference table with chairs. The area served as a meeting room for Oak and his colleagues as well as a makeshift classroom for when students from the local schools would visit for field trips. As popular as those field trips were among his colleagues, none of them compared to Oak's latest scheme.

It would never work, they had said.

Professor Oak kept in contact with his colleagues in other regions through various means, but video calls were the most common. Each of his colleagues he had contacted about his idea had said the same thing, more or less, ranging from gentle skepticism to outright disbelief.

"Sam," the youngest of them had said, "I'm not sure that it's the best... use of your time."

"But that's the beauty of it," Oak had replied, "this way, I won't have to go out there myself anymore. None of us will."

"I would appreciate not having to go out into the field as much," another had said as he stroked his beard, "the wild Pokemon around here can be rather aggressive. But how will we be able to ensure enough data is being gathered?"

"The system will continuously synchronize with our own databases," Oak had said, "I'll be with them every step of the way."

"Hmm," the oldest had said, "I thought I taught you better than to entrust your research to children."

That had stung him.

"I believe they are capable of more than you think," Oak had said after a moment of consideration, "or have you forgotten you once called me your 'most hopeless student'?"

The silence that had followed was uncomfortable, but Oak knew better than to break it.

"Well!" the youngest had finally said, "I supposed there's no talking you out of this, huh?"

"That's right," Oak had said with a smile.

"I'm curious to see how it goes," the other had said, "you'll keep us updated?"

"Of course," Oak had said.

"Very well," the oldest had said, "if you truly are convinced this is the best way, I wish you four the best of luck."

The automatic doors of the laboratory slid open with a near-imperceptible hiss, but Oak wouldn't miss a pin dropping to the floor after spending almost a decade inside the building.

"Hey, professor!" Ash said with a wave.

"Hello, Ashley," Oak said, setting down his empty mug. "You're early."

"I wanted to get here as soon as I could," Ash said as she approached.

Ash grinned as she reached the professor, displaying a wide set of crooked teeth. Ash was short for her age, thin, and not in the least bit embarrassed by her smile; all of which made her appear far younger than she was.

"I don't suppose you saw your friends on your way here?" Oak asked.

"No," she said, "but I think I see them racing up the hill now."

Ash pointed out the window to her right, which overlooked the grassy slope and the path that lead to the laboratory. Sure enough, two boys were running up the path while simultaneously trying to shove past each other.

Ash laughed as they ran around the bend and out of their view. Oak sighed.

"Why do they have to turn everything into a competition?" he groaned.

The doors slid open again and the two boys burst through, nearly falling over due to the change in friction.

"I win!" Ryan shouted, throwing his arms in the air.

"That's not fair!" Josh protested, "We said on 'go' not 'three'!"

"It's your own fault for not reacting fast enough, anyway," Ryan said, undeterred.

"Technically, I beat both of you," Ash said.

"How did you even wake up so early?" Josh asked.

"It's called an alarm clock."

"All right, settle down, kids," Oak said.

The three quieted and gathered in front of Professor Oak, beaming at him.

"I'd like to thank you three once again for agreeing to participate in this," Oak said, "I've dedicated my life to researching Pokemon. But after 25 years, there are still many mysteries to solve. I'm too old to keep working in the field, but I believe there is still a way to continue my research with your help."

Oak walked to a desk to his right, his three listeners following him and assembling on the other side. Three red devices were lined up on the desk between them. "This is my invention," Oak said, "I call it the Pokedex. It's a digital encyclopedia. This device will record any and all data on the Pokemon you encounter. There is one for each of you."

The three each took a Pokedex, inspecting them. The Pokedex was bright red and featured a small camera on the back side, in the top left corner. It was thin, about the width of a finger, and could be held comfortably in one hand. The Pokedex unfolded like a book, revealing an interior with a large square screen and a control pad under it on the left side, as well as another smaller screen and a series of buttons on the other side. The Pokedex lit up as it was opened, displaying a list of entries on the left screen.

"And we get our own Pokemon, right?" Ryan asked.

"Yes, Ryan," Oak said with a patient smile, well aware that Ryan had been eyeing the other desk since the moment he had walked in.

Oak walked to the desk on the other side of the room, followed by the three teenagers. The other desk had three Pokeballs lined up. Oak indicated to the first Pokeball, on his right. "Inside this Pokeball is the Grass-type Pokemon, Bulbasaur." He indicated to the Pokeball in the middle. "Inside this one is the Fire-type Pokemon, Charmander." Oak pointed to the last Pokeball. "And the Water-type Pokemon, Squirtle, is inside this one."

"How do we decide who picks first?" Josh asked.

Professor Oak shrugged.

"I don't mind picking last," Ash said.

Josh and Ryan exchanged glances.

"I'll let you pick first," Ryan said.

Josh approached the desk and surveyed the three Pokeballs. He had been waiting for this day for as long as he could remember. The day when he could finally start his own journey as a Pokemon Trainer. When Professor Oak had first approached him months ago he had also promised him a Pokemon but hadn't said which or that there would be any options at all.

Josh grabbed the Pokeball on his left.

"Good choice," Professor Oak said, "Bulbasaur was my first Pokemon as well."

"Why Bulbasaur?" Ash asked.

"I don't know," Josh said, "my last name is Dale, I suppose it fits."

Ryan grabbed the middle Pokeball.

"If you're picking the Grass-type, I'll use the Fire-type!" he said.

"What?!" Josh exclaimed, "You let me pick first just so you could get an advantage?"

"Well, yeah," Ryan said with a devious grin, "every battle we have will be easy this way."

Josh looked back at the table, but the last Pokeball was gone.

"Sorry, Josh," Ash said, Pokeball in hand.

Josh looked back down to his own Pokeball, still in his own hand.

"Type isn't everything," Josh said, turning to face Ryan, "I'll still beat you even if you have an advantage."

Ryan opened his mouth to reply but was interrupted by Professor Oak clapping his hands together.

"All right!" he said, "Now that you have all chosen your Pokemon, they are officially yours."

Josh, Ash, and Ryan looked at their Pokeballs and then to each other. After a brief moment, they all burst out laughing, the kind of a laughter that only came out when friends didn't know what to say.

"Can we see them?" Ryan asked.

"Of course," Oak said.

Three masses of white light emerged from the Pokeballs as they were opened, each forming in front of their respective Trainer. The Bulbasaur, Charmander, and Squirtle each barely stood above their Trainers' knees and looked up at them with large, curious eyes.

"You can give them nicknames, if you like," Oak said.

Ash knelt down to her Squirtle while maintaining eye contact. She slowly lifted her hand and brought it to the Squirtle's head, caressing its forehead with her thumb.

"How about Pat?" Ash said.

The Squirtle closed its eyes, titled its head down, and gave a low chirp of approval.

"I'm gonna call mine Vulcan," Ryan said, eyeing the flame on the tip of the Charmander's tail.

The Bulbasaur approached Josh, sniffed his shoes, and slowly extended a vine from its seed and wrapped it around Josh's leg.

"I think I'll call you Pan," Josh said.

Professor Oak watched as each Trainer interacted with their Pokemon. Ash scooped Pat up into her arms, who proceeded to nibble on her hair while she giggled. Ryan played with Vulcan's tail, quickly poking his finger into the flame and pulling it out before it burned him. Josh watched as Pan wove a vine through each finger of his hand.

"Hey, Josh, wanna battle?" Ryan said.

Josh turned to face Ryan. He was standing next to his Charmander, their pride blazing as brilliantly as the flame on Vulcan's tail.

"Boys, boys," Oak said, "there's a time and a place for everything."

Oak stepped between the two Pokemon. Ryan watched the flame on Vulcan's tail dissipate as the Pokemon calmed down.

"You said these Pokemon were ours now," Ryan said.

"They are," Oak replied, "but I need you three to remember why I am giving them to you. These Pokemon are to protect you on your journey." Ryan opened his mouth to speak, but Oak raised his hand. "I know how long you've waited to have a Pokemon of your own, Ryan, but your Charmander is not meant for you to start challenging Gyms, he is meant to help you capture other Pokemon in order to complete the Pokedex."

"But we'll have to battle wild Pokemon in order to catch them, right?" Ryan said.

"Yes, Ryan," Oak said.

"And we'll have to train our Pokemon so we can catch stronger wild Pokemon, right?" Ryan continued.

"Yes, Ryan," Oak said, suppressing his smile.

"And the best way to train is to challenge Gym Leaders, so--"

"Ryan," Oak said, "I know how it feels to want to travel the world and battle." Ryan rolled his eyes, earning a laugh from Josh which was stifled by an elbow from Ash. "If you really want to become a Pokemon Trainer, I can't stop you. You're my grandson, so this Charmander is my gift to you. But as your grandfather, I would appreciate if you return the favor."

"Don't worry, gramps," Ryan said, "we will. And his name is Vulcan."

Ryan held up his Pokeball towards Vulcan. A red beam about the width of a pencil shot out from the button in the center, connected with the Charmander, and enveloped the Pokemon in the same red glow. The Charmander shrank and receded into the beam, after which Ryan pressed the button the center, shrinking the Pokeball, and put it in his pocket. Josh and Ash followed, recalling their Pokemon into their Pokeballs and stowing them.

"We will too, professor," Josh said, "Pan and I will catch every Pokemon and complete the Pokedex!"

"No, me and Vulvan will!"

"I like your enthusiasm," Oak said, "just be sure to say goodbye to your parents before you leave, all of you."

Oak watched as Josh and Ryan immediately ran out of the lab and back down the path. Oak smiled as the two boys disappeared from view. Only once he turned around to reach for his coffee did he notice Ash still in the lab, open Pokedex in hand.

"I didn't realize you were still here, Ashley," Oak said.

"Just seeing how it works," she said.

"I designed it myself," Oak said as he approached her, "I may make some improvements in the future, but they should accommodate all your needs for now."

"You put Dinah in first!" Ash said.

"Ah, yes," Oak said, "I forgot to thank you for that. Your Clefairy is the first Pokemon to ever be recorded in the Pokedex."

Ashley closed the Pokedex and held it to her chest.

"So that's why you borrowed her," she said.

"I'm sorry I couldn't tell you why at the time, but I was still testing it and needed approval from my colleagues."

"No, I'm happy," she said, "my first Pokemon is the first one in here."

Oak smiled as he watched Ash put her Pokedex in her bag. He had been shocked when Ash had returned from her vacation to Mt. Moon with a wild Pokemon — a Clefairy no less — following her. Despite her parents' worries, the Clefairy had never hurt her and was well-behaved the entire trip back. Ash had walked to Oak's lab the next day and asked for a single Pokeball, which she used to formally catch her new friend. The Clefairy didn't resist.

Clefairies were notoriously rare, Oak himself had spent a month on Mt. Moon as an intern to study their behavior, but had barely caught a glimpse of one. All the children at Pallet Elementary School, including Josh and Ryan, were jealous of Ash and her Clefairy. They begged her to tell them how she managed to catch one, demanded she show it off; but she never did, as far as Oak knew. Ash only showed off her Pokemon in Oak's lab, where she watched Oak study it and listened to his observations with rapt attention.

"If you managed to catch a Clefairy without any Pokemon, I'm sure you'll complete the Pokedex in no time with two of them," Oak said.

"Don't worry," Ash said, "I won't be wasting my time challenging Gyms."

"No? I thought you loved Pokemon Trainers, like your friends."

Ash shook her head. "I like watching them, but I don't want to be one," she said, "I want to be a professor, like you."

"You'll be a great professor, I'm sure," Oak said, "you may meet some of my colleagues while you're traveling. I'll let them know you're coming. I may need you to pick something up for me in Pewter City, as a matter of fact..."

#

Oak laid his finished mug on the desk as he watched Ash disappear from view down the path leading to the lab. Again, Oak caught himself smiling as he thought of the adventure that awaited his three assistants — except 'assistants' wasn't quite right, was it? They had just turned 13 years old, and yet they had the same fascination with Pokemon as they did when they were children. While many other children in Pallet Town had brief dreams of becoming Pokemon Trainers, Gym Leaders, and professors, few of them stuck with it. Their parents often discouraged those kinds of ideas, pushed them to pursue more conventional jobs. Josh Dale, Ryan Oak, and Ashley Delaney were the exceptions, much as Oak himself had been when he was their age.

Only once Ash had left Oak's lab and the professor had finished his coffee did he realize the full impact of her absence. He would not see her again for quite some time.


	2. Chapter 2

Josh strode past the sign marking the beginning of Route 1 with gusto. Of course, he had tried to avoid having to say goodbye to his parents, but there was no avoiding his own house on the way to Route 1. Josh had been caught trying to sneak his way into the tall grass a dozen times this year alone, only to be scolded by his parents, his brother, and sometimes even Professor Oak. Josh's mother cried when he hugged her, his father shook his hand; exactly as they had done when Josh's brother left on his own journey three years ago.

Route 1 was little more than a winding path with a few fields of long grass scattered about, but Josh had dreamed about trekking through it for as long as he could remember. Josh took his first step into the long grass, which reached up to his stomach, thinking of his brother. Had Jake encountered his first wild Pokemon here?

A squeak from Josh's left broke his thoughts. Josh turned to face the noise, watching the grass in front of him rustle as the Pokemon approached, squeaking all the while. The grass finally parted as the Pokemon jumped out, a blur of purple fur and bright, white fangs — a Rattata.

Josh reached into the side pocket of his backpack and pulled out his Poke Ball, threw it into the air, and watched his Bulbasaur emerge from the white light.

"Pan, use Tackle!" he called out.

Pan ran forward and charged the Rattata, hitting it dead-center in its face and pushing it back. The Rattata turned around, wagging its curled tail back and forth. Pan looked back towards Josh, confused. Josh hesitated, was it trying to run away?

Suddenly, the Rattata turned back around and tackled Pan, hitting his side and knocking him over.

A Tail Whip, he realized. The endless hours he had spent watching Trainers use the most powerful kinds of moves with their fully-evolved Pokemon hadn't prepared him for that. He was almost insulted he had been fooled by such a simple trick.

"Get up, Pan!" Josh said.

Pan rolled onto his feet and faced the Rattata.

"Now use Vine Whip!"

A single vine emerged from Pan's bulb, it stretched high into the air until, curled back, and then flashed forward towards the Rattata, striking its face with a snap. The Rattata cried out and stumbled. Josh immediately reached inside his bag again — only to realize it was empty. Josh looked up from his bag, just in time to see the tail of the Ratatta disappear into the grass.

Josh dropped his backpack on the ground. Pan walked to it and sniffed it, then looked up at his Trainer.

"We need Poke Balls."

#

The doors of the Poke Mart hissed as they closed behind Josh. He slipped his bag back on, still empty.

"Josh Dale?"

Josh turned to see a woman in a white lab coat and glasses approaching him. 

"Uh, yes?" he said.

"I'm Anne, I work for Professor Oak," she said.

"Oh yeah, I remember you," Josh said.

"I'm glad I caught you, could you do me a favor?"

"Sure."

Anne handed Josh a box wrapped in brown paper, secured by a red string. "This is a package from the Silph Company, it needs to be delivered to the professor right away."

Josh slipped off his backpack and put the box inside, there was plenty of room for it.

"I'll get it to him," Josh said as he put his backpack on, "by the way, do you know why they're out of Poke Balls?"

"The Mart? I think your friends already came by and bought all the Poke Balls they had," Anne said, "I don't think I've ever seen them get sold out in a day!"

Josh sighed. "Good for them."

#

"Thank you, Josh," Oak said as he took the package, "I'm sorry you had to come back here so soon."

"It's no problem," Josh said.

"I suppose it's a bit early to ask if you've encountered any wild Pokemon?"

"I found a Rattata."

"Were you able to catch it?"

Josh looked down. "Actually, I forgot to get Poke Balls."

"Oh!" Oak laughed, "You must have been so excited to get on your journey, weren't you?"

"I guess," Josh said, fiddling with his Pokedex, "sorry, Professor."

"There's no need to apologize," Oak said, "I know how exciting it was when I found my first wild Pokemon. You're young, you're going to make plenty of mistakes, just like I did when I was your age. It's natural."

Josh flipped open the Pokedex and watched as the screens lit up.

"Wait, there's info on Rattata in here!" he said.

Oak leaned to look over Josh's shoulder. "Is there? One of your friends must have caught one already."

#

Josh stomped down the path to Oak's lab. Josh knew Ryan had caught that Rattata, he now had two Pokemon already. He was probably challenging the Viridian City Gym at this very moment, while Josh was wasting time in Pallet Town. Even Ash had two Pokemon already, how far ahead was she right now?

"Josh!"

Josh turned to see Daisy walking out the front door of Ryan's house. She had the same light brown hair as her brother, which reached down to her waist and blew easily in the wind. Josh shifted uncomfortably as Daisy reached him, she was the prettiest girl he knew and stood more than a head taller than him.

"What are you doing back in Pallet Town, I thought you and Ryan left already," she said.

"We did, but I had to come back to deliver something to Professor Oak," Josh said.

"Aww, that was nice of you," she said, "and lucky for you, that means I can give you these."

Daisy reached in her purse and revealed five Poke Balls, which she held out in her cupped hands. "I meant to give these to you when you left, but you all woke up so early," she said.

"Thanks!" Josh said as he scooped them into his bag.

"I remember when your brother left to go on his journey," Daisy said, "I'm sure you'll be a great Trainer, just like him. I never got to give him anything when he left, so I'll give these to you. Just don't tell Ryan."

Daisy winked as she turned and began walking back to her house.


	3. Chapter 3

Josh stood in the tall grass on Route 1, holding one of Daisy's Poke Balls in his hand, scanning the area for any movement. Pan stood at attention in front of him. It was still early in the day, but four more Pokemon had been added to the Pokedex last he checked — Caterpie, Weedle, and both species of Nidoran. Could Ryan already have a full team of six Pokemon?

A shadow crossed Josh's face followed by a flutter of wings from above. Josh looked up to see the silhouette of the Pokemon approaching, blocking out the Sun as it grew bigger. Josh ducked as the Pokemon flew over him, grazing the top of his head. Josh looked up as the Pokemon flapped its wings, climbing higher into the sky. Josh could finally see it now that the Sun was out of his eyes — a Pidgey.

Pan ran between Josh and the Pidgey, vines curled at his bulb at the ready.

"Pan, use Vine Whip!"

Pan's vine lashed out, catching the Pidgey in the center of its chest and sending it tumbling downward. The Pidgey caught itself at the last second, breaking its fall with its wings and hovering just above the ground. The Pidgey flapped its wings even harder, kicking up grass, leaves, and dirt.

Josh shielded his eyes from the debris with his arm. Only once he lowered his arm did he manage to see the Pidgey send a blast of wind down towards Pan, flattening the grass he was standing on.

“Hit him with another Vine Whip!”

Pan shook off the pain from the Gust attack and readied his vines again, curling one backward before sending it flying forward like a whip, catching the Pidgey in the chest and sending it tumbling into the ground.

Josh looked down at his hand, still holding one of the Poke Balls Daisy had given him. He pushed the center button of the Ball with his other hand and watched as it expanded in his hand, almost too big to be held with a single hand. Josh looked up; the Pidgey was now on its feet, shaking its head to shrug off the last blow.

“Use Tackle!”

The Pidgey almost reacted in time — it chirped as it spread its wings and flapped them desperately to get off the ground, but Pan was too quick for it. Pan charged forward and jumped into the Pidgey, ramming his head into the center of its chest again, knocking the wind out of it and sending it back down into the ground.

Josh perked up as it did, he took a step forward with his left foot, brought his right arm back just behind his head, and threw the Poke Ball forward as he had practiced so many times before. For years, Josh, Ryan, and Ash had used rubber balls, baseballs — anything they thought might help improve their throwing arms. By the time Professor Oak had first offered to let them have their own Poke Balls with actual Pokemon inside them, they could have thrown them across the lab and out the window without any fear of hitting something breakable, had they been allowed to.

The Poke Ball hit the Pidgey as it lay on the ground, bouncing off and opening automatically. A red beam of light emerged from the Poke Ball, connecting with Pidgey and expanding until it engulfed the entire body of the Flying-type Pokemon. The mass of red light that was Pidgey’s body shrunk and lost its form as it began to recede into the Poke Ball, the Poke Ball itself snapping shut once the red light was fully inside.

Josh watched without blinking as the Poke Ball lay on the ground, shaking violently once, twice, three times — and finally was still as the Poke Ball made an audible _click_.

Josh approached the Ball cautiously, with Pan following close behind. Josh picked up the Poke Ball — it seemed to weigh more than when he had first thrown it. Josh held the Poke Ball high in the sky, a wide grin spreading across his face.

A rumble coming from Josh’s bag interrupted his private celebration. Josh unslung his bag and dug through it, until finally finding his Pokédex, vibrating every few seconds. Josh opened the Pokédex, which had the words “new entry” written across the right side screen in all caps.

Josh read the information that had just been added; how Pidgeys generally try to avoid fighting, their keen sense of direction, their habitat. Normally, if Josh had wanted to know any of these things he would have asked Professor Oak, but instead he was standing in the tall grass far from home learning all about the Pokémon he had just caught.

Josh stowed his Pokédex and brought out the Poke Ball again, opening it with both hands and allowing the Pidgey to emerge in a mass of white light.

The Pidgey materialized from the white light, facing away from Josh. It turned to face Josh, tilting its head and chirping quietly.

“I’ll call you Hermes,” Josh said, still smiling.

Hermes flapped his wings while standing in place and squawked.

#

Josh stood at the foot of the steps of the Pokémon League Reception Gate, staring up at the building. It was a tradition at the start of every championship for the eight competitors to walk up the steps together and.through the reception itself. Josh had watched it every year on TV, but the building looked much different in person. Its design itself was simple, a dark brown foundation, beige concrete walls, and opaque glass sliding doors. Even so, Josh found himself craning his neck to look up at the top of the building, with the words “Indigo Plateau” plastered across the top of the gate in bold capital letters.

Josh shivered at the sight of it. How many trainers had entered those doors, to battle the best in the region? How many had walked out the same doors, defeated?

Josh clenched his fists and began marching up the steps.

Only once he was nearing the top did he notice the two guards flanking the doors, dressed in a deep purple uniform with black buttons. They had wide brim hats bearing the league insignia on them.

“Um, hi,” Josh said.

The guard on the right glanced at Josh without turning his head.

“It’s a little early for registration,” he said.

“I’m not here to register,” Josh said, “I was just wondering if I could look inside?”

“No can do.”

Josh nodded and looked at the doors. Even up close, they were impossible to see through.

“Where you from, kid?”

Josh looked up, the guard was looking at him now.

“Pallet Town.”

The guard nodded, “That’s the tiny town off Route 1, right?”

“Yeah.”

The guard turned to his partner, “How long has it been since someone from Pallet Town got in, 10 years?”

The other guard shook his head, “Longer.”

The guard looked back down to Josh and tipped his hat up, allowing the sunlight to reveal his face.

“Tell you what, kid, come back here before the end of the year with all eight Gym Badges, and I’ll be happy to let you in myself. I’ll be able to say you’re the first Trainer from Pallet Town I’ve seen make it to the Indigo Plateau.”

#

Josh had only made it about halfway down the stairs before he saw a familiar looking silhouette standing at the bottom, waiting for him. Even with the sun in his eyes, Josh knew who it was.

The tips of his spiky hair seemed thinner and tapered because of the sunlight, almost looking like horns. His head was tilted up, and a big grin was plastered across his face. There were only a select few people who could give off such a look of condescension without even trying, but Ryan Oak was one of them.

“They’re not letting anyone in,” Josh said as he reached the bottom of the steps.

“Psh, I know that,” Ryan said, “I just knew you would still try anyway.”

“Then why are you here?”

Ryan reached in his pockets with both hands and brought out two Poke Balls.

“I’ve already caught one,” he said, “what about you?”

Josh reached into his bag, enjoying the surprise on Ryan’s face as he did it, and pulled out his own two Poke Balls.

“I caught this one today,” Josh said, holding the Poke Ball out for Ryan to see.

“Well,” Ryan said, “how about a battle? Now that gramps isn’t around to interrupt.”

“You’re on!”

The two walked to a clearing away from the road and stood opposite each other. Josh saw Ryan wind his arm back for a throw and did the same. The two threw their Poke Balls into the air and they opened almost simultaneously.

Hermes emerged first, chirping loudly and flying down in front of Josh, at the ready. A Spearow emerged from Ryan’s Poke Ball, squawking and flapping its wings incessantly. It did not land in front of its Trainer as Hermes did, but instead began circling over Ryan’s head.

“So you caught a Flying-type too?” Ryan said, “That’s good. Looks like my rival has the same strategy as me. All right, Spearow, use Peck!”

The Spearow broke from its path above Ryan and flew high into the air, then dove towards Hermes. Hermes chirped and took off from the ground, narrowly avoiding Spearow’s beak. Hermes flew up while keeping its head trained on Spearow, which had veered off at the last second to avoid hitting the ground.

“Hermes, use Gust!”

Hermes flapped its wings even more vigorously, sending a blast of wind towards Ryan’s Spearow, but it dodged, diving under it and flying back up towards Pidgey with another Peck attack.

“Get low to the ground, Hermes!”

Hermes dropped to the ground, forcing Spearow to turn and start diving itself. Hermes turned sharply and hovered just above the ground, waiting for its next command.

“Now use Sand Attack!”

Hermes flapped its wings, sending a blast of grass, twigs, and dirt directly at Spearow. The Spearow flew into it without hesitating, and Josh barely made out the sound of Ryan laughing before the Spearow emerged from the cloud of debris and struck Hermes with its beak, sending him tumbling into the ground.

“That’s just pathetic, Josh!” Ryansaid, “Did you really think that was going to work?”

Then he remembered. Josh smacked his forehead with the palm of his hand — Keen Eye! A Sand Attack would never stop a Spearow from landing an attack.

“Finish it off, Spearow, use Peck!”

The Spearow turned and began another dive, speeding towards Hermes, who was still on the ground.

“Get up, Hermes, use Gust!”

Hermes sprang up and flapped its wings without leaving the ground, the blast of wind was too close for Spearow to avoid this time, and it was knocked out of the sky.

“Now use Tackle!” Josh said.

Hermes flew at Spearow while staying just a few inches off the ground, and hit Spearow just before hitting the ground, sending it flying backward towards Ryan.

“Get up, Spearow, another Peck and we finish this!” Ryan said.

“Use Tackle, Hermes!”

The two Flying-type Pokémon flew at each other, colliding head-on and ricocheting. The Spearow fell back into the ground hard; Hermes was able to catch itself and hover just off the ground before crashing into it.

Ryan held up his Poke Ball and recalled Spearow.

“You did great, Hermes!” Josh said, “Hey, Ryan, looks like you lost.”

“Psh,” Ryan scoffed, “all you did was beat my Spearow. This battle’s not over.”

Ryan stowed Spearow’s Poke Ball in his pocket and pulled out the other one, threw it up, and watched as Vulcan emerged from it.

“This one is weak, Vulcan,” Ryan said, “we just gotta finish it off quick.”

Vulcan growled, the flame on the tip of its tailed burning brightly.

“Hermes, use Gust!”

“Dodge it, Vulcan, get in close!”

Hermes flew up and began to launch blasts of wind at Vulcan, but Vulcan got down on all fours and zig-zagged between them without much effort, closing the distance with each Gust that missed him.

“Get away from him, Hermes, fly higher!”

Hermes began to flap his wings to get more air, but Josh could see it moving sluggishly.

“Take it down, use Scratch!” Ryan said.

Vulcan jumped and swiped Hermes’ legs with its claw, knocking it off balance and sending Hermes into the ground.

“Now use Ember!”

Vulcan climbed on top of Hermes and launched fire from its mouth directly into Hermes’ face.

The smell of burnt feathers made Josh scrunch up his nose and frown. He could see Hermes was dazed.

“You did good, Hermes,” he said, recalling Hermes into his Poke Ball.

Josh brought out his last Poke Ball.

 _Type isn’t everything,_ he reminded himself.

“Let’s go, Pan!” Josh said as he threw out the Poke Ball.

Pan emerged from his Poke Ball, vines at the ready.

“Vulcan, use Ember!” Ryan said.

Vulcan launched a tongue of flame at Pan, which arced through the air.

“Dodge it, and use Vine Whip!”

Pan side-stepped, allowing the Ember to land on the grass where Pan had just been standing. Then Pan lashed a vine towards Vulcan.

“Use Ember on the vine, quick!”

Vulcan tracked the vine hurtling towards him with his nose and spat another tongue of flame just as it was about to hit him. Pan screeched and withdrew his vine, shaking it violently to quench the flames on it.

“Nice!” Ryan said, “Now get in close, just like last time.”

Vulcan began rushing to Pan on all fours.

“Keep him away from you, Pan,” Josh said, “Use Vine Whip.”

Pan launched his other vine at Vulcan, this time aiming low and catching Vulcan’s front legs, tripping it and sending it tumbling forward.

“Keep going, Ember!”

Vulcan rolled over to get back on its feet, dodging Pan’s second vine as it slammed down onto the ground, and launched another Ember. The fire hit Pan in the face, sending it rearing backward in pain.

“Now use Scratch!”

Vulcan leaped forward and slashed Pan across its exposed belly with its claw, knocking the Grass-type backward.

“Get out of there, Pan!” Josh said.

Pan sprang off his back by pushing his vines into the ground, sending himself flying away from Vulcan. But Vulcan stood still and watched as Pan fall back towards the ground, launching another Ember just as Pan landed, and hitting it again.

Pan screeched and its knees buckled, then went limp as it fell over, defeated.

Josh felt a lump in his throat. He withdrew Pan as he listened to Ryan cheer. He stared at the Poke Ball in his hand, pursed his lips and resisted the urge to scream, and finally pushed the button in the center to shrink it down and put it away.

Josh looked up to see Ryan standing there, holding his hands up in an exaggerated shrug as if to say _I guess I’m just_ that _good._

“Not bad, I guess,” Ryan said, “But next time how about you try to make it more of a challenge?”

And with that, Ryan turned on his heel and walked off, holding up his fist triumphantly.


	4. Prologue

The two Pokemon stood facing each other, the cloud of smoke and dust created by their last engagement billowing out from a crater in the ground between them. The Trainers squinted and shielded their eyes from the debris to see through the cloud. The stadium was illuminated by powerful spotlights that hung from the ceiling at each corner of the battlefield, but even their light couldn't penetrate the thick cloud. The audience, a deafening force just moments before, was dead silent.

Finally, the faintest silhouettes of the Pokemon became visible again. The Trainers immediately shouted their orders, and their Pokemon reared back in preparation. The audience roared with anticipation and crescendoed as the Pokemon's attacks – a shadowy blob and a bolt of lightning – met again and created another explosion.

All across the Kanto region, people sat with rapt attention to their screens; in restaurants, in their cars, in their homes. Eight children in one such home in Pallet Town sat in the basement of the Oak residence, watching the finale of the three-day tournament they had been waiting all year to see.

The explosion created another dust cloud which expanded and immediately consumed the frame until the camera changed to another shot which captured the entire battlefield, the cloud blossoming out from the center. The excitement in the basement was identical to that in the stadium, the audiences tensing and relaxing with each move the Pokemon made. They ducked, dodged, and darted with each order shouted by their Trainer, and launched their attacks at each opportunity.

Each year the children in Pallet Town – and everywhere else in Kanto – became more engrossed in battles, the Trainers, and the Pokemon. Each year they learned more about battling and watched with better understanding. Each year they followed their favorite Trainers more closely and cheered them on harder.

Finally, one of the Pokemon fell. Parts of the audience cheered and booed depending on their inclinations as the Pokemon stumbled, fell over, and was finally recalled into their Poke Ball in a flash of white light. The Trainer wasted no time in stowing their Poke Ball and immediately bringing out another – it was their last one. The audience fell silent as the Trainer held it in their hand; an object no bigger than a ping-pong ball held the fate of the Indigo League Grand Finals.

The stadium burst into cheers as the Trainer raised their arm, but the boys in the Oak residence were dead silent. Their fervent hopes of their preferred winner were long gone at this point, replaced by a far more powerful desire – the desire they had to be in that stadium. Each one of them imagined themselves in place of the Trainer as they turned sideways, wound up their throw, and sent the Poke Ball arcing into the air.

 _Someday_ , they thought to themselves, _it'll be me up there._

The Poke Ball opened and hung in the air as a mass of white light erupted from inside it, flew to the ground, and materialized into an intimidating mass of brown fur and black hooves.

_Someday, I'll have those Pokemon._

The Pokemon reared and stamped its front legs. It exhaled from its nostrils with enough force to blow away the debris created by the earlier explosions. It whipped its own body with its tails, each strike cracking with the sound of a gunshot. The Pokemon lowered its head, bearing two curved silver horns; ready to charge.

_Someday, I'll be the Champion._


End file.
